When I shot a roll of film last month, I hadn’t shot film since last year.

I challenged myself to go out and not go home until I shot all 36 frames.

I walked around the neighborhood with my camera in hand “looking” for things to photograph. I’ve lived in my neighborhood for 12 years and after a while, everything looks the same and anything but interesting.​Since I had black & white film, I had to imagine what a scene in color would look like in black, white and varying shades of gray. I had to think about the way the light fell on things. Would this subject look better in color or best in black & white? ​

As I wandered around the neighborhood, I found myself stopping in at an empty laundromat. Laundromats are one of my favorite places to take photos.

Some of the dryer doors were left open while others were closed. All the washer lids were open waiting to be filled with dirty clothes. Random books were left above the washers waiting to be picked up and read. A vending machine was near the entryway for the person who forgot to bring their laundry detergent.

I looked for the details in an everyday public place that most people just go in to use to take care of a weekly chore.

Sometimes my favorite photos are the ones I take within my neighborhood in the most mundane places. It pushes me to learn how to see things in a different way most others overlook or don’t see.

So where can you go and take photos where you live? A grocery store? The library? The post office? The gas station? Pick a place and see if you can capture the place in a different way than you’ve seen before. Have fun!

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